Three events for today

          It's Monday morning, our least favorite time of the week. Are you rejoicing in the Lord or just barely awake? Three of the many things that scripture says happen daily will help us get started on the week.

1. Surely this first one is not so familiar to you that you've lost the enormous significance of it! What if this weren't true? But thank God it is! “. . .The Lord's . . . compassions fail not. They are new every morning. . . . Lamentations 3:22-23 And don't forget the context in which those words were written: it was after the destruction of Jerusalem in 587 BC. Their capital city was lying in ruins and the lament opens with these words, “How lonely sits the city that was full of people! How like a widow [or widower] has she become. . . .” 1:1 In the midst of that devastation “The Lord's . . . compassions fail not. They are new every morning. . . Great is thy faithfulness.” So look for God's compassion for you today; it should be readily apparent. (If you don't see it, ask me and I'll give you some examples!)

2. You're tired. You're old. You're afflicted. And, sadly, you might even be discouraged! So what is God going to do about it today? We're told very clearly of that situation in 2 Corinthians 4:16 NIV “Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” God's compassions are new every morning so every day He “renews” us in our spirit and strengthens us and gives us cause for rejoicing in Him. Read the Psalms this morning and you can't help but rejoice.

3. And the third thing He does for us daily is to give us our daily tasks and ministries to other people so that our lives are always significant as we serve Him. And “you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58 And at least one of the tasks He gives us we are told to do “daily.” “But encourage one another daily . . . so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.” Heb. 3:13 NIV Most people need some cheerfulness and encouragement—so there's your task for today. “A cheerful heart is good medicine. . . .” Proverbs 17:22

Yesterday my daughter sent me a new song (new to me) that fits this devotional. It's sung to a beautiful folk melody which you can listen to on YouTube.

Awake, awake to love and work!
The lark is in the sky;
The fields are wet with diamond dew;
The worlds awake to cry
Their blessings on the Lord of life,
As He goes meekly by.

Come, let thy voice be one with theirs,
Shout with their shout of praise;
See how the giant sun soars up,
Great lord of years and days!
So let the love of Jesus come
And set thy soul ablaze.

To give and give, and give again,
What God hath given thee;
To spend thyself nor count the cost;
To serve right gloriously
The God who gave all worlds that are,
And all that are to be.

Safely into His heavenly kingdom

“The Lord will . . . bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom.” 2 Timothy 4:18 ESV

            What a glorious promise to sustain us even in the darkest night! Sometimes we can't see where we're going or what God is doing to get us through the next predicament, but we have the assurance that all is well and God is at work and will accomplish what He set out to do in our lives and will use us for His glory and our good.

          The time of Paul's “departure” has almost arrived and surely he must be getting tired! What a life God led Him through—all the way! Shortly after Jesus Himself confronted him on the Damascus Road and brought him to Himself, Jesus said, “I will show him what great things he must suffer for my sake.” And suffer he did and in the end, Paul wrote, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” Romans 8:18 ESV

            Paul was alone, but he was never alone because “the Lord stood by me and strengthened me, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. So I was rescued from the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

           Many times God had rescued Paul from death until He was ready to bring Him safely into His heavenly kingdom. Then God brought him safely through death into life everlasting and the glory of heaven. So shall it be with us.

Steadfastness

		The Faithful Witness in the Sky VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL This album has 2 photos and will be available on SkyDrive until 1/7/2013.

Steadfastness

           A few nights ago when I was in Colorado, I took these pictures of the full moon especially beautiful in the clear mountain skies. Whenever I see an especially beautiful moon, I am reminded of Psalm 89:37 which speaks of the moon as “established forever, a faithful witness in the sky.” I saw the beauty of the moon and thought of the stability and steadfastness and faithfulness of the moon and of the power and wisdom of God who created it.

           We, too, have a “faithful witness” in our hearts, the Holy Spirit “who bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” Romans 8:16  But I thought especially of the steadfastness of the moon and the sun and the seasons and the days and the weeks and the years as we speed safely through space on this planet.

           What a contrast to the instability of man, torn back and forth by every wind of doctrine and teaching and “unstable in all his ways,” guided by whim and impulse and lack of principle. I've never seen so many attacks on Biblical teaching and animosity towards followers of Christ. They've always been there historically but I haven't seen as much as I do now. Even some professing believers are “jumping ship” and saying they no longer believe and set out on their own without the stability and guidance of scripture and the Holy Spirit.

         How tragic! and Jesus foretold these days when He asked, “. . . when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Luke 18:8

             For our part, we simply need to continue steadfast and faithful to what God has called us to, and let none of these things discourage us because we have in our hearts God's promises and the Presence of the Holy Spirit Himself. Listen to this promise and hang onto it!

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” 1 Cor. 15:58 Did you catch that? We “know”!--and how do we know? By the “faithful witness” of the Holy Spirit who not only comes to us, He lives within us, the God of Truth Himself.

              If you are a child of God, then you will “endure as seeing Him who is invisible.” Hebrews 11:27 It is God the Holy Spirit who opened the “eyes of our understanding” to behold the Savior’s glory. “The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us who believe, according to the working of his mighty power. . . .” Eph. 1:18-19

       Jesus said, “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.” That’s why He sent the Holy Spirit to us, the “other Comforter.” Christ is here with us because the Holy Spirit dwells within. God is One so wherever the Holy Spirit is, there also are the Father and the Son. “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?” Romans 8:31 ESV

“They found it just as he had told them”

“They found it just as he had told them”

           This morning while I was eating breakfast, I listened to Luke 22. That's the story of how Peter and John prepared the borrowed Upper Room for Jesus and His disciples to eat the Last Passover together (which included the First Lord's Supper). As I was listening carefully, one phrase captured my imagination.
⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸ So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹ They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰ He said to them, “Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. [That's the first unusual part of it because usually it was women who carried the jars of water from the spring or well and not men.]

          Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹ and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.” [What sort of contact Jesus had earlier with this man, we are not told, but we do know that Jesus had made all the arrangements. It was God's time and He was ready.]

^{13 “}And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.”

        All this is preliminary, of course. The really important part is what happened after they met for the Passover Meal and Jesus washed their feet and ate the Passover meal with them and gave them those wonderful promises that we all love so much from John 13-16.  But what gripped my attention this morning were these marvelous words which seem so ordinary and perhaps expected: ”And they went and found it just as he had told them,”

         Isn't that what you would expect? Well, yes it is, of course. But think of how we can apply this to ALL the words that Jesus tells us. Haven't you already found that true?   Remember how Jesus said, “In the world you will have tribulation.” Hasn't that happened to you? But don't forget His words of comfort which are also true, “Be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

         And through one of His servants He told you, “No temptation [or testing] has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let [or, allow] you to be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.” 1 Cor. 10:13 ESV And you found it just as he had told you.

          And you received with joy Jesus' legacy that He left for us when He said, “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. . . . Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” John 14:27 ESV And you found it just as he had told you. You found that you didn't have to allow yourself to be troubled or afraid.

          Some of you are getting older and more tired. And you realize the truth of 2 Cor. 4:16, that we are “outwardly wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day.” That's a promise and you found it just as he had told you. And some of you find your strength ebbing away as the years progress and the demands of life seem to multiply. And you remember the promise to Asher, “as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” Deut. 33:25 And you found it just as it was told you.

           You thought you didn't have any strength and then you remembered this promise, ^“Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.” Psalm 27:14 You waited on the Lord and you were of good courage and He did strengthen your heart. You found it just as it was told you.

          And with anticipation and expectation you read of Jesus' promise, John 14:3 (ESV)
^“And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” How comforting to your heart to look forward to that blessed day you enter eternal life in His Presence. And you will find it just as He told us. He will take you to Himself that you may be where He is.

The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ

The Glory of God in the Face of Jesus Christ

            The Glory of God is “the highest of all topics and the grandest of all subjects.” To display God's glory was God's purpose in creating the entire universe and its people. And in the process His grace is central so we sing praise to His glorious grace ^“That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2:7

            The Glory of God is who He is in His essential Being and all that He has done and is doing. The visible manifestation of the Glory of God is the glorious light that surrounds Him. God “alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light. . . .” 1 Timothy 6:16 ESV Moses and the children of Israel saw the glory of God as the Shekinah Glory led them through the wilderness. The glory of God was in the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. It showed itself as the Glory Cloud during the day and as a pillar of fire at night. Moses saw the Glory of God in the burning bush and on Mount Sinai when God gave “the Law of Moses.”

             The Hebrew and Greek words for glory are both weighty and beautiful. That's precisely what scripture says: ^“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;” 2 Corinthians 4:17 And there is no greater majesty and splendor and inherent beauty than the glory of God.

            Used of man, glory speaks of radiance and praise, reputation, and wealth. Vanity and pride is associated with it. It is finite, transitory, and fickle, dependent on the whims of the crowds and the image makers. “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever.” 1 Peter 1:24-25 ESV And so does the glory of God in His absolute perfection. His holiness, his majesty, his character, His power, His works all contribute to His glory.

           And the glory of God was demonstrated in the Person of Jesus who is the highest revelation of God. He is “the image of the invisible God,” Colossians 1:15 ^“the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholds all things by the word of his power when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high.” Hebrews 1:3

             In the Incarnation “the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 They all saw the excellence of His character, and Peter, James, and John saw the visible manifestation of His glory in the transfiguration. He “was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun,” “and his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow. . . .” Matthew 17:2 and Mark 9:3 Years later Peter wrote, “We were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” 2 Peter 1:16

           There is also the glory of God's beautiful creation. ^“The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.” Psalm 19:1 ESV ^“There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.” 1 Corinthians 15:40-41 ESV

          Does man have intrinsic glory? Well, yes, he does! God gave it to him when He created man in His own image, to reflect in a small, finite way, SOME of the things God can do though infinitely different, still man can think, feel, act, love, make moral and ethical judgments, be creative, love beauty, accomplish worthwhile projects, build, improve. All of the things God gave us to do in the cultural mandate of Genesis 1:26-27. That is the dignity and worth of mankind.

           ^“For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet.” Psalm 8:5-6   So man created in the image of God should be accorded the deference and dignity that God has conferred upon him. That's why we should treat everyone with dignity and respect, because we know who they are!--created in God's image.

           But fallen man's conception of “glory” is quite different from that. And to describe it we need a Greek word quite different from doxa which means glory. For this we must use kenodoxos which means man's desire of praise, being conceited and boastful. Man wants to be the center of his own universe and claims to be autonomous or independent of God. When the truth of the matter is that we cannot even breathe our next breath without God.

           In the Graeco-Roman world of Bible times fame and glory were among the most important values in life. And the Jewish rabbis also highly esteemed the honor and praise of man—characteristics that Jesus warned against. In contrast the apostle Paul told the Thessalonians, “We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.” 1 Thess. 2:6

         The Glory of God and the Beauty of God are so closely related they could almost be used interchangeably. Here's how Sam Storms expressed it, “God’s glory is the beauty of God unveiled. Glory is the resplendent radiance of His power and His personality. Glory is all of God that makes God God, and shows Him to be worthy of our praise and our boasting and our trust and our hope and our confidence and our joy.”

“Glory is the external elegance of the internal excellencies of God. Glory is what you see and experience and feel when [you see the beauty of the works of God in creation.]

“Understanding God is but a means to enjoying God. We tell others of this glory and [thus increase our joy and theirs] at what we have told. . . .

“Treasure God. Prize Him. Delight in Him. Enjoy Him. In doing so you magnify Him, you show Him to be the most wonderful and sweet and all-sufficient being in the universe.

“. . . Enjoying God is not a means to a higher end. This IS the end. Enjoying God is not a pathway to the pinnacle. It is the pinnacle, the purpose for which you and I live. As such, it is the solution to our struggle with sin. The antidote to apathy is the enjoyment of God. It is the divine catalyst for human change.”

“And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV

--Sam Storms, One Thing: Developing a Passion for the Beauty of God. Christian Focus Publications 

“What is the chief end of man?” “To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

–Westminster Shorter Catechism, 1643

“One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord. . . .” Psalm 27:4

“Swallowed up by Life”

What is the purpose of life? Who are you? Why are you here? How did you get here? Where are you going? What are you supposed to be doing while you’re here? Those “basic questions” have puzzled and tantalized people throughout the ages and most people never find the answers because they are looking in the wrong place. But God gives us answers in Scripture. There are many “purpose statements” in various places in scripture. One of the clearest and one of my favorites is in 2 Corinthians 5:4 ESV “For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.”

The Greek word is katapino and it means “to drink down, i.e. gulp entire (literally or figuratively).” The reference is Isaiah 25:8 ESV “He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces.”

Death is the entry into eternal life. We will no longer be “pilgrims and strangers”; we will be “home at last”!

“Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose. . . .” That’s why God created you in the first place, to share the glories of eternal life with you in fellowship with Him and with those whom you love. Jesus prayed to the Father, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3

The Westminster Catechism has it right: “What is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy Him forever!” Let’s do both–right now!

2 Corinthians 5:1-9 ESV

For we know that if the tent, which is our earthly home, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. [2] For in this tent we groan, longing to put on our heavenly dwelling, [3] if indeed by putting it on we may not be found naked. [4] For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened--not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. [5] He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. [NIV: He has “made us for this very purpose.”]

[6] So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, [7] for we walk by faith, not by sight. [8] Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. [9] So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him.

[What is your ambition in life? Always to “please Him”? Ironically, that’s where you will find true happiness–as a by-product of pleasing Him, you will “please” yourself! That’s just another example of God’s grace! But if you focus on yourself, you will never find true happiness or “fulness of joy”–which is what Jesus prayed for His disciples: “so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.” John 17:13 NIV]

The Pleasure of Reminiscing and the Comfort it Brings

The Pleasure of Reminiscing

and the Comfort it Brings

Have you ever noticed when you haven't seen someone for a long time how much the two of you or several of you talk and laugh about what happened to you a long time ago? Do you remember this or that? And the warm-hearted memories cheer the conversation. That's because when you love someone, you want to share the good things of life with them—and the good memories. And Minnie often quoted Elisabeth Elliot's book “All That Was Ever Ours. . . .” [Still is!] That's because you carry those things in your heart and in your memory and they have become a part of who you are. Whatever was yours, still is. The memories remind you of your love for one another and the faithfulness of God. They are an intrinsic part of who you are.

But have you also noticed how quickly our wonderful experiences slip from the present into the past? I'm presently on another very rewarding project. During the 1970's and 1980's Minnie and I took pictures mostly as slides and only had a few of them printed to put into our photo books. So I'm going through hundreds of slides—probably 2000 or more—and having many of them transferred to CD's or DVD's. The resulting resolution is excellent and the whole family can now have copies to see on their computer screens what had been only a sampling of small photos in the photo books. So I'm thankful to the Lord for technological improvements making it easy to share with others.

And yes! There's an important theological and practical lesson to this experience. Those wonderful pictures of happiness and joy with all those sweet grandchildren the Lord gave to Minnie and me can be enjoyed again in our memories while seeing them again on the screen. But—and this is profound! And should be pondered—those sweet little children are not sweet little children anymore! They've grown into adulthood and have their own families. And yes, we still love them and are close to them. And yes, they're still a joy to be with! But the little ones are not there any more. And yet we haven't lost them! And there's where the deep profound theology comes in! In a very similar way, I haven't lost my wife either—and you can make the application to your own life. She is with the Lord and all the wonderful growing together and building into each other's lives has taken fruit and made us both into the kind of persons we actually are. And through it all God was working out His purposes in our lives and gradually transforming us more and more into the image of Christ from one degree of glory to the next. (2 Cor. Chs. 3 & 4)

Now for Minnie, she has actually seen the Lord face-to-face and has become like Him! just as scripture promised. And we have the reassurance that we will see her again someday! What an enormous comfort it is to know where she is and with Whom and that we will see her again not many years from now. And all the good things God has poured into our lives in Christlike character is still there and always will be. Time doesn't erase, it just adds on more of God's blessings for us to enjoy in eternity future.

--Pastor Burnside